LIT 199/Career Planning for English Majors – Spring 2022

1/2 course unit
Term:  Spring 2022
Time:  5:30-6:50pm on Thursdays
Place:  Social Sciences 102
Prerequisites: None		 Prof. G. Steinberg
Office: Bliss Hall 216
Office Phone: 609-771-2106
Office Hours:  1:30-3:30pm MR
Email: gsteinbe@tcnj.edu

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
TCNJ Career Center Handbook (available at https://career.tcnj.edu/career-handbook/ or under “Files” in Canvas)

COURSE DESCRIPTION.  The official catalogue description of the course is available in PAWS.  This course is designed to help students understand and articulate their own career goals and develop short- and long-term plans for their TCNJ education to help meet their career goals.  Topics covered include:  career opportunities in business, government and non-profit sectors, interviewing, networking, internships, cover letters, resumes, graduate and professional school opportunities, statements of purpose, degree audits, internships, study abroad, undergraduate research, experiential learning.

When the College went through a curriculum revision several years ago, the vast majority of undergraduate courses were “transformed” from 3-credit to 4-credit (1-unit) learning experiences.  While most of the classes continued to meet for only 3 academic hours per week (typically 150 minutes on the TCNJ schedule grid), it was understood that the “transformed” courses offered a depth of learning with additional learning tasks unfolding in the equivalent of a fourth hour, including, sometimes, an actual additional hour of class interaction.  As the equivalent of the fourth hour in this course,

F) The students are assigned additional learning tasks that make the semester’s learning experience more deeply engaged and rigorous, and no other additional classroom space is needed.

GOALS.  By the end of the course, I want you to

      1. have learned about and considered potential careers,
      2. have researched those potential careers and learned what kinds of qualifications and skills they require,
      3. have learned the basics of professional etiquette and networking,
      4. have learned the basics of written business communications (especially résumés and cover letters), and
      5. have realistically appraised your prospects for a successful career and job search.

This course also contributes to the following goals for the School of Humanities & Social Sciences and the English Department:

#1 Written Communication
#5 Critical Analysis and Reasoning:  Ability to critique the arguments of others in the discipline and the construction of one’s own arguments in the discipline, using data/evidence are a focus of instruction and/or the ability to analyze linguistic and cultural patterns

REQUIREMENTS.  There are four requirements for this course:

      1. You must submit ten “reports” listed in the course outline below and participate in the discussion of the reports in class.  Each report is worth 3 points.  If you submit a report on time but are absent from class on the day that the report is discussed, you will get only 2 points.  If you are present and participate in class but do not submit the report due that day, you will receive 1 point (with the possibility of receiving a second point if you submit the report later).  Normally, reports are to be submitted in hard copy in class.  When a report is a page from the TCNJ Career Center Handbook, you should bring a printed copy of the completed page to class.  Reports are to be submitted by sharing them with me as Google Docs.  When you share a report with me, be sure to give me “suggesting” or “editing” status (so that I can comment directly on your report).  Total Points:  30.
      2. You must attend one career-related special event and write 1 page about what you experienced/learned at the event (due in hard copy in class within 10 days of the event).  Suitable events include the English Department’s Alunni Weekend open house (more information forthcoming), the Career Center Global Internships and Careers workshop (Tuesday, Feb. 8, 12:30pm, SSB 103), Social Justice Internships and Careers workshop (REMOTE: Friday, Feb. 18, 12:30pm, click here to register), and the other “Special Events” on p. 5 of the TCNJ Career Center Handbook (about which there is or will be more information – including dates and registration – on the Career Center web page).  For any other event to count here, you must get prior approval from the instructor.  Total Points:  9.
      3. You must attend one Career Center service appointment and write 1 page about what you experienced/learned at that appointment (due in hard copy in class within 10 days of the appointment).  Suitable service appointments include those listed under “Services Available” on p. 5 of the TCNJ Career Center Handbook.  Total Points:  6.
      4. Your final, culminating assignment is to produce a cover letter and résumé for an existing internship or job opening (or to produce a grad school personal statement if you’re planning on going to graduate school).  Total Points = 10.

This course is graded Pass/Unsatisfactory.  To pass the course, you must accumulate at least 46 out of the 55 total points possible.  Normally, as long as you have done a reasonable job on an assignment, you will receive all the points that the assignment is worth (although a careless job may only get a portion of the points).

PROFESSOR’S AVAILABILITY.  My office is Bliss Hall 216, and my office hours this term are 1:30-3:30pm on Mondays and Thursdays.  If you cannot see me during these hours, feel free as needed to call my office (609-771-2106) or talk to me before or after class to arrange an appointment at another time.  You may also contact me by email (gsteinbe@tcnj.edu), or you may leave a message for me in my box at the English department offices in Bliss 124.  Email is generally the fastest way to contact me.

ATTENDANCE.  If you must miss a graded assignment due to a religious holiday, let me know ahead of time, and we will arrange a way for you to make up the work.  If you must miss a class for any other reason, I expect you to find out what you missed and to come fully prepared – without excuses – to the next class meeting.  For information on the College’s attendance policy, please go to https://policies.tcnj.edu/?p=77.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY.  Academic dishonesty is any attempt by a student to gain academic advantage through dishonest means, to submit, as his or her own, work which has not been done by him/her or to give improper aid to another student in the completion of an assignment. Such dishonesty would include, but is not limited to, submitting as his/her own a project, paper, report, test, or speech copied from, partially copied, or paraphrased from the work of another (whether the source is printed, under copyright, or in manuscript form). Credit must be given for words quoted or paraphrased. The rules apply to any academic dishonesty, whether the work is graded or ungraded, group or individual, written or oral. Please, please, please, if you need help with an assignment, let me know rather than resort to cheating.  TCNJ’s academic integrity policy is available on the web at https://policies.tcnj.edu/?p=130.

ACCOMMODATIONS.  The College of New Jersey prohibits discrimination against any student on the basis of physical or mental disability or perceived disability. The College will also provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to enable students with disabilities to participate in the life of the campus community. If you require special accommodations, I will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your needs and to create an environment where your special abilities are respected. For more information, please go to https://policies.tcnj.edu/?p=145 and https://arc.tcnj.edu/.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. We are all enriched by greater diversity, and we all bring different perspectives to this class. I want to create a learning environment that supports diversity and honors your identities and perspectives (including your race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, mental and physical health, differing abilities, politics, etc.). If you go by a name and/or set of pronouns that differ from those that appear in your official records, please let me know. If you feel that your performance in class is being impacted by experiences related to your identity outside of class, please don’t hesitate to talk to me. If something is said or posted in class (by anyone, including me) that makes you feel uncomfortable, targeted, misunderstood, or disparaged as a person, please talk to me about it. I will expect our whole class (including me) to strive always to honor every form of diversity. To see TCNJ’s official diversity statement, please go to https://diversity.tcnj.edu/campus-diversity-statement/.

FINAL EXAM.  As required by the College’s Final Exam/Evaluation Policy (http://policies.tcnj.edu/policies/digest.php?docId=9396), this course has a culminating final assignment; the assignment is comprehensive and integrative in nature and counts for at least 15% and not more than 50% of your final grade.

COURSE SCHEDULE.  This schedule is subject to revision at the discretion of the professor.  Changes in the schedule made after the first day of class will be in red.

Dates Topics Assignments
Jan 27 Looking ahead to a career
    • This class meeting will be remote only.  See under “Zoom” in Canvas for the Zoom link.
    • No report due.
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, pp. 7-10
    • “2 things that double students’ chances of getting a job” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • pp. 2-7 (or more) of “BGTReportLiberalArts” (under “Files” in Canvas)
Feb 3 Thinking about potential careers
    • No report due.
    • “EAB Daily Briefing” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “Over Time” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “To see how liberal arts grads really fare, report examines long-term data” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “Putting your liberal arts degree to work” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “That ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “These are the 50 majors with the highest earnings” (under “Files” in Canvas)
Feb 10 Researching potential careers

REPORT 1 DUE:  Use FOCUS-2, “What Can I Do with an English Degree?” (under “Files” in Canvas), What Can I Do with This Major?, and/or Google to help you complete pp. 12-13 of the TCNJ Career Center Handbook.  Bring hard copies of the completed pages to class.
Feb 17 Networking and the “elevator speech”
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, pp. 16 and 19-20
    • REPORT 2 DUE:   Research 1-3 careers that interest you (using resources at the Career Center website, Become with Lantern, Glassdoor, Youtube, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and/or Google).  In 1-2 pages, answer ALL the following questions:  What skills are required in the career?  What kind of work does a person in the career do? What does an entry-level position look like?  What promotions and advancement are possible? What kinds of limitations/challenges/opportunities/attractions exist in the career (travel, salary, job availability, job security, geographical limits, working conditions)? What are some of the businesses or organizations for which you might work in this career?
Feb 24 Alumni panel No report due.
We will meet in Bliss Annex 151 on this day – NOT in our regular classroom.
Mar 3 Networking and online “branding”
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, pp. 17-18
    • REPORT 3 DUE: Bring a written draft of your “elevator speech” to class.  You will practice it with your classmates and submit a hard copy of it at the end of class.
Mar 10 Internships and “Handshake”
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, pp. 14 and 22
    • REPORT 4 DUE:  Create a Linked-In profile, personal website, blog, and/or other online “presence.”  Email me the link or send me a “friend” request.
Mar 17 NO CLASS Spring Break
Mar 24 Government jobs and grad school
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, pp. 21 and 27
    • REPORT 5 DUE:  Search “Handshake” for internships or jobs in fields that are of interest to you.  Search other platforms too (such as bookjobs.com, NYWICI, JournalismJobs.com, mediabistro, Freelance Writing Jobs, or NCPH Jobs listing).  In 1-2 pages, answer ALL the following questions:  How easy was it to find appropriate internships/jobs?  What kinds of requirements and skills do the ads request from applicants?  Are you qualified for the kinds of internships/jobs that you would like to get?  What kinds of things do you need to do (classes to take, experience to get) to make yourself better qualified?
Mar 31 The job search and transferable skills
    • No report due.
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, pp. 15 and 29
    • “The Nitty-Gritty on Getting a Job” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “Liberal Arts Majors Are the Future of the Tech Industry” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “6 Soft Skills Every Professional Needs” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “The surprising thing Google learned about its employees — and what it means for today’s students” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “The transferable skills employers value the most” (under “Files” in Canvas)
Apr 7 Résumés and grad school personal statements
    • To allow people to attend the Gloria Harper Dickinson Memorial Lecture (if they want – not required), we will start class at 6pm instead of at 5:30 (for this class meeting only).
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, pp. 28 and 31-65
    • “How to Write a Resume to Beat an Automated Tracking System” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “What Your Resume Should Look Like in 2017” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “How to write I changed a lightbulb on your resume” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • REPORT 6 DUE:  Draw up 1 page listing and describing your transferable skills and where you got each of them (e.g., past job, class, extracurricular).
Apr 14 Cover letters
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, pp. 66-71
    • REPORT 7 DUE:  Fill out TCNJ Career Center Handbook, p. 30.  Bring a printed copy of the completed page to class.  Share your answers with me as a Google Doc.
Apr 21 Interviewing
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, pp. 23-24, 26, and 74-78
    • “The 3 Key Formulas To Answer Any Interview Question” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • “Top 10 things NOT to do in an interview” (under “Files” in Canvas)
    • REPORT 8 DUE:  Look at the suggested contents of a cover letter – printed in gold on p. 66 of the TCNJ Career Center Handbook.  Brainstorm a list of specifics that you could include in each paragraph of your cover letter (lead paragraph, body, optional third paragraph, concluding paragraph).  Submit the list in class as a shared Google Doc.
Apr 28 Researching prospective employers (for  fraud protection and for cover letters and interviews)
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, p. 25
    • REPORT 9 DUE:  Research a list of at least three real internships (or jobs) for which you could apply.  Submit hard copies of the ads to me in class.
May 5 Résumé and cover letter workshop (and what to do when you get a job offer)
    • TCNJ Career Center Handbook, pp. 79-81 and 72-73
    • REPORT 10 DUE:  Bring a draft of your cover letter and résumé (or grad school personal statement) to class.
FINALS PERIOD NO EXAM COVER LETTER AND RÉSUMÉ (or grad school personal statement) DUE in Canvas.